Overnight Monterey Chicken Pasta – this creamy chicken spinach pasta loaded with flavor is a new family favorite! Just dump everything in the dish and refrigerate overnight. No boiling the noodles. They will soften overnight and be cooked to perfection in the finished dish. Chicken, spinach, cream of chicken, milk, chicken broth, onion, garlic, elbow macaroni, Monterey jack cheese, and french fried onions. Comfort food at its best!
In a large bowl combine cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, spinach, milk, chicken broth, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, and half of the french fried onions. Stir in uncooked pasta.
Pour pasta mixture into prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove casserole from refrigerator and uncover.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Top the casserole with the remaining 1 cup of Monterey jack cheese and the remaining half of the fried onions. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.
Notes:
Do NOT cook the noodles ahead of time. Add them to the casserole dry/uncooked. They will absorb some of the liquid in the casserole dish as it sits overnight. They will finish cooking in the oven along with the rest of the casserole.
I used rotisserie chicken in this dish. It is my number one timesaver. You can use any cooked chicken that you have on hand. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken tenderloins, or canned chicken will all work great.
Can substitute fresh spinach.
You can use any combination of cream of soups in this casserole. Cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, or cream of celery soup are all delicious.
I suggest using Unsalted Cream of Chicken Soup in this dish to control the sodium.
I use elbow macaroni in this pasta dish. You can use any short pasta such as penne pasta, fusilli, or farfalle pasta work great. Use whole wheat pasta to increase the fiber.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator